Combined shaft-tug and buckle.



SEWELI.. E. WLSLOW, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

COMBINED SHAFT-'EUG AND BUCKLE.

Application filed September 26, 1908.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2G, 1909.

Serial N o. 454,920.

To all rwhom it may concern.'

Be it knovvn that I. Sievfnri. E. lYiNsLoW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State of Coni end of this slot 1s an opening 17 of greater necticut, have invented a neu' and isefigl Combined Shaft-Tug and Buckle, of which the following is a specification.

This invent-ion has for its object to provide a. metallic shaft tug and buckle, all the parts of which may be cast integral with the exception of the buckle tongue -which is detachable. I ani thus enabled to produce shaft tugs very rauch cheaper than leather tugs can be produced, which may be made as highly-ornaieiital as the finest leather tugs, which will permit the shafts to slide freely ltherein thus preventing movement of the saddle and fa cilitating the detachment of the shafts from the tugs in unharnessing, and Which shall be practically indestructible.

lllith these and other objects in view I have devised the novel combined shaft tug and buckle of which the following descri )tion in connection with the accompanying i rawing is a specification, reference characters being used to indicate the several parts:

Figure 1 is an elevation illustrating any novel metallic tug and buckle in place upon a tug strap as in use; Fig. 2 a longitudinal section corresponding with Fig. 1; F ig. 3 adetail sectional view on the line 3-3 in Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows; and Fig. 4 is a detail sectional View on the line 44 in liig. 2, looking in the direct-ion of the arrows.

It is of course Well understood that the shaft tu gs in ordinary use are made of leather, are made part of the girth and are attached to the tug strap by means of a. buckle, the retaining loop for the end of the tug strap being of leather and stitched to the tug. This construction is expensive to produce and is subject to Wear, my novel combined tug and buckle being inexpensive to produce, equally ornamental with a. leather tug and practically indestructible.

The present invention comprises essentially an oval body indicated by 10 which receives the thill or shaft of a Wagon, a buckle ranie indicated by 11, a. tug strap loo i indicated by 12 and a girth loop indicatedlby 13. These parts are all cast integral. The buckle frame consists of arms 14 which extend from the up er end of the body on opposite sides thereoli the outer ends of said arms being connected by a cross piece 15. The body is provided on one side with a central longitudinal slot 16 which extends approximately to the top of the body terminating between the arms of the buckle frame. At the lower length than width.

1S denotes the buckle tongue, the outer end of which is adapted to engage cross piece 15. At the inner end of the tongue is a cross arm 19 of greater length than the width of opening 17. This cross iece in use lies on the inner side of the bony. The tongue is also provided with an oblong plate or enlargement 20, which lies on the outer side of the body and when placed in longitudinal alinenient with opening 17 will pass freely therethrough and when laced transversely to said opening and to s ot 16, which is its normal position, vvill retain the tongue in place in the body. Intermediate the cross arm and plate 20 the tongue is provided with an angular neck 25 which lits closely enough in slot 1G in the body to renderitiin ossiblefor the tongue to turn. rlhe tugstrap oop which is cast integral with the body is placed upon. the outer side of the body in suitable `oosition to receive and retain the lower end ofl the tug strap after it has been buckled to the tug. rThe girth loop, which is also cast integral with the body, is placed at the lovver end thereof in suitable position for the attachnient of the girth (not shown).

23 denotes a tug strap and 24 a hole therein for the buckle tongue. In order to furnish a finer finish for shaft tugs used upon high grade harnesses, I provide face plates 21 for the cross piece of the buckle and for the tug s( ra loop, said face plates being made of relative y high grade metal which may be Vlated and will receive a high Violish. These ace plates are made self-attaching by means of integral lugs 22 which are clamped on the under side of the cross piece of the buckle frame and the under side of the tug strap loop and retain the face plates securely in place.

The operation will be readily understood from the drawing. In attaching my novel shaft tug to a tug strap, the end of the stra p is passed downward through the buckle frame back of the cross )ieee and through the tug strap loop. The buckle tongue is inserted from the inner side. The tug strap is passed downward far enough to place the touffue hole in central alincnient with the opening 17 in the body. Plate 20 on the tongue is then placed in longitudinal aline` nientwith said opening and passed through the opening, after which7 buv means of the versely to the slot 16 and opening 17.' The looked as clearly shown in fig. 2, the Cross arni preventing the possibility of the tongue -being drawn outward, necl: 25 preventing it from turning and plate i2() preventing it from f lzeing pushed inward. To detach the tugl from the tug strap, the strap is pushed downf ward or the tug is raised relatively thereto g sutliciently to nieve the neel-2 of the tongue i baeliward in slot 16 until plate 20 is in central alincinent with opening l? in the bodv.

tongue may be given quarter turn by l means of the cross arm and readily drawn out, late 2O passing freely through the opening t 1e body.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

l. A combined shaft tug and buckle coniprising a body adapted to receive a shaft and having a longitudinal slot and an elongated opening at the lower end of the slot and a buckle tongue having at its inner end a cross cross piece, the tongue is given a. quarterl turn placing cross arni 19 and plate 2O trans arm adapted to engage the inner side of the body and an oblong plate adapted to be g passed through the opening when in alinetuOj strap is then drawn upward or the tug pulled downward, which will cause the neel( of the tongue to slide along to the upper end of the slot, in which position the parts will be nient therewith and to normally lie on the outer side of the body to retain the tongue in place after the tongue has been given a. quarter tuin and has passed into the slot.

2. A combined shaft tug and buckle comprising a body adapted to receive a shaft and having a longitudinal slot and an elongated opening at the lower end of the slot and a buckle tongue having at its inner end a eross arni adapted to engage the inner side of the body, an oblong plate adapted to he passed through the opening when in alinenient therewith and an angular neck between the e cross arni and the )late which engages the 1 1 t t rlhe neck is now out of the slot so thatthe 5 slot and prevents the tongue from turning when in the operative position.

In testimony whereot l alhx my signature,

l in presence of two witnesses.

SE TELL E. WINSLOW.

litnesses: M A. M. Woosrnn,' S. Vv. ATHERTON. 

